Reasons for disenchantment / lower attendance

[Partridge]

I've been to more MLB games than AFL games in the last decade.

I stopped enjoying the 'game day experience' a long time ago! It is just awful.

I watch heaps of sport, but AFL footy is now just a part of that - not the cornerstone of it.

I enjoy it, but purely as entertainment. So if there's something more entertaining on, which there often is - I'll watch that instead.

The AFL sucked the tribalism and emotion out the game to a large degree a long time ago, and went down the full blown 'entertainment product' path. That's fine - but there's just so much other entertainment out there these days that it's no wonder people are finding other stuff to do instead of going to the footy.

Yep and this is what I remember people talking about 15-20 years ago.

You want to make it entertainment instead of sport? Fine. Just remember, the rusted on fans - the ones who pay memberships no matter what and will put up with finishing 12th, 15th, 11th etc. year after year - well they are footy fans. They aren't entertainment fans craving an instant hit of excitement. Because those fans will drop off the second it isn't up to scratch. So when you deliberately, consistently, and systematically spit in the face of actual footy fans, don't complain when the grounds become empty very quickly once you're down the ladder. You yourselves (the league and clubs) have shown contempt for those fans for years. At some point they'll find something else to do.

 

[Freomaniac]

I've no problems with these new rules. Disregard finals football as it always opens up in knockout finals, but I thought the week to week football in the period from 2013-2020 was some of the worst I'd ever seen and had stopped me going. It was a lot of flooding the backline and rugby maul style tackling and packs.

And I'd argue the coaches hadn't worked out a solution to this ugly footy after 6-10 years of it.

So you are indirectly blaming Ross Lyon tactics for the current product?

 

[Philhawk]

• No Saturday FTA is a joke
• opening round has killed any joy to start the season for most
• the academies are a fraud and have only served to prop up the northern teams
• teams down the bottom of the ladder realise their draft picks are useless between academies and soon, Tasmania
• “fully ticketed games”
• stupid rule changes that no one understands and make the sport resemble rugby union

Let me know when to drop.

 

[melanChronic]

It's deadset painful to watch a game on TV as a neutral now. When you're not hanging onto every contest and shot for goal like it could ruin your weekend then you notice the abysmal commentary that somehow manages to both detached and artificially excited, and the stand rule meaning that every 20 seconds it sounds like a guy in fluoro training his dog in the park. It's embarrassing that they think this is an acceptable thing to churn out every week.

 

[The_Reaper]

The rule changes to reduce congestion and speed up the game have worked but they also make it harder for a bad team or even a team facing a run on to shut a game down for a bit.

More blowouts is not more interesting

 

[Rotayjay]

Taking the game largely off free-to-air TV was a massive mistake. That's how you get kids and casual followers interested, just happening to tune in free of charge rather than Dad having to be enough of a sports fan to pay for Kayo or Fox.

And they are intent on killing the golden goose by charging like a bull for tickets. Hardcore fans may look sideways at theatregoers, but they have always been an integral part of sport. When single-match tickets were about 30 bucks, some 20-year-old uni student wouldn't think twice about buying 3 tickets awaiting their mates giving them the money back. But when it's approaching or exceeding 100 bucks a ticket? It makes them think twice.

 

[HugeJohnson]

I just feel like it doesn't really mean anything anymore. It's just something to do. The best player on my team is being talked about where he's going to be traded to at the end of the year as fait accompli in round 2 as if it's the most important thing about my club. Same thing will happen next year with Georgiades. Winning or losing doesn't seem to matter to the players, everyone's just having a laugh and a cuddle after the siren no matter the outcome. Rivalries are just manufactured by the massively overpopulated football media.
The AFL deems my team not important enough to play on the opening weekend, so why should I care about it? We are afterthoughts.
My team looks like finally benefitting from our academy/ father sons. Guess what? Time to change the rules and cough up big time.
Umpiring is atrocious because the game just keeps getting more and more convoluted with constant rule changes and interpretations.
Amateur technology being used to adjudicate goals where half the time it doesn't make it any clearer whatsoever.
Jobs for the boys no matter how competent you are.
An administration that doesn't care about feedback.
Primetime 'blockbuster' after 'blockbuster' for perennial losers just because they are AFL favourites.

I could write for hours but I'll stop there because why bother

 

[Kappa]

Aren't crowds going up?

 

[Handsuper47]

I stopped paying attention to live broadcasts when Saturday football stopped being free-to-air, and I did go to a game last year (Melbourne vs Richmond) and it made me realize I don't want to go back. Not because of the quality of the teams but because of the endless bombardment of 'forced hype', why does each player need to be hyped up individually prior to coming on the field? Why does there need to be a custom sounds/a song after a goal? What's with this nonsense stuff in the half time break where you want everyone's attention and people can't relax? What the hell is this stand rule and why can't it go away? Why does Opening Round exist? I don't recognize the game I grew up with anymore.

 

[Partridge]

I stopped paying attention to live broadcasts when Saturday football stopped being free-to-air, and I did go to a game last year (Melbourne vs Richmond) and it made me realize I don't want to go back. Not because of the quality of the teams but because of the endless bombardment of 'forced hype', why does each player need to be hyped up individually prior to coming on the field? Why does there need to be a custom sounds/a song after a goal? What's with this nonsense stuff in the half time break where you want everyone's attention and people can't relax? What the hell is this stand rule and why can't it go away? Why does Opening Round exist? I don't recognize the game I grew up with anymore.

Yep. I get this entirely. We've let the MCC guest pass go - it's just not justified anymore. If you live in East Melbourne or Richmond, and your team actually played their home games there, different story. But for a team that at most will be there 4-5 times a year, add the cost of food and drink, the time it takes to commute now, it's not remotely worth it.

Couldn't agree more about the 'forced hype'. I went to both games versus Carlton a couple of years ago - we won the first, were belted in the second - and some idiot thought it was funny or cool or edgy to have hideous Irish music blasting when Zac Tuohy kicked a goal. Nearly walked out then. My ******ed in-laws seemed genuinely surprised that I didn't want to dance like a performing seal on command. Hated it. Of course it's gotten worse and like sheep every club has started copying it now.

 

[Footy_Fan2007]

I'll be honest I don't share the same view as people here about songs after a goal, I love them, and you can see the crowds love them too, just gives the atmosphere some good vibes, party-like in a way.

Terrible post. It’s a footy game not a nightclub.

 

[jwikked]

Aren't crowds going up?

This is exactly the problem. You get Andrew Dillon defending his awful decisions because crowds are going up.

Crowds going up doesn’t mean people are happier than ever with the product. And it’s stupid to frame it that way.

 

[Partridge]

• No Saturday FTA is a joke
• opening round has killed any joy to start the season for most
• the academies are a fraud and have only served to prop up the northern teams
• teams down the bottom of the ladder realise their draft picks are useless between academies and soon, Tasmania
• “fully ticketed games”
• stupid rule changes that no one understands and make the sport resemble rugby union

Let me know when to drop.

Not at all. Please continue.

 

[Partridge]

Can't disagree with any of that. Had no idea the person who takes the kick in gets a possession now. WTF, when did that come in?

I believe that if you played on - kicked the ball to yourself - and then left the goalsquare you got a stat. That's fine. But being able to simply run out of the goalsquare (which most do now) and get a stat for that, that came in around 2019.

 

[Partridge]

This is exactly the problem. You get Andrew Dillon defending his awful decisions because crowds are going up.

Crowds going up doesn’t mean people are happier than ever with the product. And it’s stupid to frame it that way.

It's one of those stats where you need to examine what he means.

Does the total crowd for a given round - from nine games, in five different states, all at different times - exceed the same round from 1984, with six games at once in one city at the same time? Probably. Doesn't mean much though, given how much the population has increased and the extremes they go to to ensure every game is at a different time. All at venues that with the exception of GWS hold far more fans too.

 

[Cmarsh]

This is exactly the problem. You get Andrew Dillon defending his awful decisions because crowds are going up.

Crowds going up doesn’t mean people are happier than ever with the product. And it’s stupid to frame it that way.

Or maybe the views in this thread aren't reflective of the wider footy public. Not at all stupid to come to that if crowds are still good.

 

[Lavender Bushranger]

This is exactly the problem. You get Andrew Dillon defending his awful decisions because crowds are going up.

Crowds going up doesn’t mean people are happier than ever with the product. And it’s stupid to frame it that way.

But to be fair, how else can the AFL measure their success?

Crowds, membership, TV ratings, junior participation.

If these things are all up - then surely the AFL can assume they're doing the right thing?

People can, and always have whinged and whined about stuff - but if they keep showing up and watching it, the AFL has to assume they're on the right track with what they're doing.

 

[jwikked]

But to be fair, how else can the AFL measure their success?

Crowds, membership, TV ratings, junior participation.

If these things are all up - then surely the AFL can assume they're doing the right thing?

People can, and always have whinged and whined about stuff - but if they keep showing up and watching it, the AFL has to assume they're on the right track with what they're doing.

The AFL is too big to fail, it doesn't mean everything they do is right.

 

[Bedi]

I believe that if you played on - kicked the ball to yourself - and then left the goalsquare you got a stat. That's fine. But being able to simply run out of the goalsquare (which most do now) and get a stat for that, that came in around 2019.

Why would they remove the rule you have to kick it yourself to play on is beyond me. It's like they're determined to remove every little quirk unique to the game.

 

[brmi]

As stated by others, the list is as long as your arm as to why fans are genuinely disengaged with the AFL. I don't think it's one reason in particular, it's a little piece of all the reasons.

The AFL just don't give a toss about it's rusted on lifelong fans. The have no reason to. They have us and they know it.

It would be nice however if they could manage to get out of their bubble and listen to the masses occasionally. There is so many little things they could fix/change that are soo bleedingly obvious, just the current administration are just to stubborn and money hungry to do so.

 

[Lavender Bushranger]

The AFL is too big to fail, it doesn't mean everything they do is right.

I agree with that.

But to be fair to them, they do have to measure their performance against some kind of metrics.

And with all due respect to those on here, people whinging about stuff just doesn't matter if the product sells.


I've whinged as much as anyone about the state of the game over the years, and aside from watching on TV fairly regularly and posting on BigFooty - the AFL get zero from me. But clearly the AFL don't cater to people like me and they've found a really large audience that likes what they're selling.

Is it sustainable? Who knows? But I questioned the sustainability of burning the rusted on diehard fans in favour of the theatre goer a decade ago. And their numbers still seem to be going up.

So maybe I'm just wrong?

 

[Philhawk]

Not at all. Please continue.

Let’s ride

• free agency “compo” is a secret herbs and spices rort from HQ
• every other sport with a draft makes it uncompromised. Except AFL, ofcourse
• what the **** are ”special compensation picks” for shit teams?
• does anyone know what the tribunal is doing?
• I went to the MCG last Thursday and a pie and sauce was $14.50
• no one asked for a wild card round. It’s stupid.

 

[Elixuh]

The flip side to the academy angst is

• having to not consider drafting players who don’t want to move away from Melbourne in a national comp
• without academies having to maintain a list of ~90% interstate players and the retention issues which come with that

Free agency is also a joke. The entire thing.

 

[GoEaglesGoSGIO]

Aren't crowds going up?

No idea. GWS crowd is still TBC

 

[Lavender Bushranger]

Why would they remove the rule you have to kick it yourself to play on is beyond me. It's like they're determined to remove every little quirk unique to the game.

It just became too easy to defend.

Due to very nature of AFL footy, defence is easier than offence. With over coaching and sports science, the advantage swung way too far towards defence.

The AFL rightly tried to address this.

Whether they over compensated or not, is a different story. But they were 100% right to try to make it harder to defend.